Our Graphic Designer Markus Bryant went vegetarian for the month of January! I sat down with him to see how his meat-free challenge went.

What made you decide to go vegetarian for the month of
January?

I decided to go vegetarian to see if I could keep the
discipline. I’ve always said I would never go vegetarian, but I knew this was
something that was going to be hard and push me to keep the discipline.

Why are you giving up meat?

Because meat is something that I love to eat and knew that
it would be hard for me to give up.

How was the first day/week?

The first day wasn’t so bad, but it was the first week that
was rough. I didn’t know what was good to eat and what wasn’t good to eat, so I
stuck to a lot of the same recipes that I liked. Also I started going to the
gym and the intensity of my workouts made it hard for me not to eat meat to
help with the energy and the feeling of being full. I had less energy in the
first week but at times I would feel lighter and less bloated.

What were your expectations?

My expectations were moderate. I expected to drop more
weight in the beginning but once my body got used to not eating meat I would
reach a plateau. So once I hit my plateau my weight loss decreased but my body
fat percentage decreased.

Has it been challenging figuring out what to eat?

Yes because my goal was to reduce my meat intake and so far
that hasn’t happened by choice. I’m not eating a lot of meat but I also haven’t
been buying many groceries. So once I’m able to buy groceries I can have a
better eating regimen.

What are some of your meals?

I ate a lot of vegetarian stir fry, black bean burgers,
sweet potatoes and a lot of broccoli and cauliflower.

Has it been enjoyable?

Yes, I actually like being a vegetarian and would do it for
a longer period. I felt better and I was eating well than when I was eating
meat.

Will you reduce your consumption of meat moving forward?

I have been trying to reduce my meat consumption, but I keep
putting myself in situation where meat is the main course.

How has the transition been?

The transition back to eating meat has not been the best. I
tend to have low energy and I become bloated easily. Waking up in the morning
is more difficult.

What have you learned?

I learned that nutrition is really more important than
exercising. I learned that eating more vegetables helps me get the proper
nutrients.

What has the hardest part/easiest part been?

The hardest part has been eating right and staying away from
junk food. The easiest part was when my meals were prepared ahead of time.